Concern is growing among Celtic supporters over a transfer window that has so far delivered just one new face — Colombian striker Camilo Duran, signed from Azerbaijani side Qarabag. Manager Martin O'Neill is widely reported to have accepted the likely departures of midfielder Arne Engels and forward Daizen Maeda, while the future of captain Callum McGregor also hangs in the balance after he reportedly signed with a new agency.

Engels: goals, assists, and unfulfilled potential

Engels joined Celtic in the summer of 2024 from Bundesliga club Augsburg, broadly filling the creative void left by Denmark international Matt O'Riley, who departed for Brighton & Hove Albion after a 19-goal, 49-appearance campaign. The 22-year-old Belgian international — capped four times — has not yet matched those numbers, but his development mirrors O'Riley's own slow burn at Celtic.

Engels contributed ten goals in 2024-25 and seven in the most recent season, including strikes that clinched both the Scottish Premiership title against Heart of Midlothian on the final day and the Scottish Cup final victory over Dunfermline Athletic. He also registered eight assists last term alone. Interest from Nottingham Forest surfaced during that period, though no move materialised — and Engels ultimately missed out on a place in Belgium's World Cup squad.

Maeda: a forward still rising

Daizen Maeda enjoyed his finest individual campaign in 2024-25, scoring 33 goals in 51 appearances, and has reached double figures in each of his three other full seasons at the club, including 17 goals in the current 2025-26 campaign. His 38 career assists have contributed significantly to Celtic's haul of ten pieces of silverware, among them five league titles.

Still only 28, Maeda brings World Cup experience with Japan and — as former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglu noted this summer — a